The Invitation-Only Zone: The True Story of North Korea's Abduction Project By : Robert S. Boynton

During the 1970s and early 80s, dozens -
perhaps hundreds - of Japanese civilians were kidnapped by North Korean
commandos and forced to live in 'Invitation Only Zones', high-security
detention-centres masked as exclusive areas, on the outskirts of
Pyongyang.

The objective? To brainwash the abductees with the
regime's ideology, and train them to spy on the state's behalf. But the
project faltered; when indoctrination failed, the captives were forced
to teach North Korean operatives how to pass as Japanese, to help them
infiltrate hostile neighbouring nations.

For years, the Japanese
and North Korean authorities brushed off these disappearances, but in
2002 Kim Jong Il admitted to kidnapping thirteen citizens, returning
five of them - the remaining eight were declared dead.

In The Invitation Only Zone,
Boynton, an investigative journalist, speaks with the abductees,
nationalists and diplomats, and crab fishermen, to try and untangle both
the kidnappings and the intensely complicated relations between North
Korea and Japan. The result is a fierce and fascinating exploration of
North Korea's mysterious machinations, and the vexed politics of
Northeast Asia.

Book Details

Number of Pages:

288 Pages

Bar Code:

9781782398523

Publisher:

Atlantic Books

Book

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1 x The Invitation-Only Zone: The True Story of North Korea's Abduction Project